Week 132 :: Should Bodybuilding Be An Olympic Sport?

[the_fake_webmaster]

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* Note: How can I win? 1. Answer all questions in the order that they are asked. 2. Go over reviews (located at the bottom of past TOTW articles) and see what was said about those that did not win. Good Luck!
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TOPIC: Should Bodybuilding Be An Olympic Sport?

For the week of: July 19th - July 24th
Tuesday @ Midnight Is The Final Cut (Mountain Time, US & Canada).

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This has been an ongoing debate amongst bodybuilders and almost anyone else who has an interest in the Olympics. Weightlifting already has it?s place in the Olympics, but not bodybuilding.

Should bodybuilding be an Olympic sport? Why or why not?

Why is bodybuilding not already an Olympic sport?

Do you think making bodybuilding an Olympic sport would help the sport? Do you think it would help the Olympics?

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[Mike Russo]

whoever would compete in bodybuilding would not be able to pass an olympic drug test or be natural because consider the top guys peak for the Arnold, the NY Pro, the O, (those are supposed to be the top three guys) and the rest of the guys do qualifiers to qualify for the Olympia, so maybe there is a conditioning issue, definitely a conditioning issue... when one considers bodybuilding outside of the Mr. Olympia. I mean, how many times a year are guys supposed to hold their conditioning each year and still be expected to be superb IFBB qualifier contest, Arnold Classic, NY Pro, Mr. Olympia-level etc. carried over into the Olympics? Athlete(s) would have to be on such a level of drugs. (to do IFBB then Olympics) Athlete may be overtrained. One side of me wants to say great go for it, but I see no point for guys killing themselves to condition for the Olympics-- to win a medal, no paycheck, when IFBB is their career/paycheck. From what I read through Weider publications if I can recall off the top of my head, Ben Weider and Rafael Santoyana(sp) then head of the Olympic committee went through this subject discussion, what? ten?, fifteen? years ago? neither side came to terms because the interest by the public-at-large, Olympic Planning? Committee, IFBB, was not made in any manner. that is my take on the catch 22-like situation of why, absolutely, bodybuilding should be included in the Olympic games, but the OPC (Olympic Planning Committee) says no way, too many interest-planning issues involved in staging Olympic bodybuilding.

Then there is the topic of fan interest. A whole, another topic altogether. Almost like IFBB has to persuade OPC people to allow bodybuilding, into the Olympic Games. The consensus I have heard from some IFBB bodybuilders I have talked to is, right now as things stand, does not look like bodybuilding is headed towards the Olympic Games. Tough sell. Professional bodybuilding needs more characters, personalities.

[Lavoisier]

Should Bodybuilding Be An Olympic Sport
1. I don't think bodybuilding could be an olympic sport. At the highest levels of bodybuilding, for example the Mr. Olympia competition, no one can go into that competition without having used steroids. It just wouldn't work.

2.If it was made an olympic sport, and they forced all the competitors to be natural, genetics would play a huge role in which competitors received medals. Not to be racist, but black people tend to have better genetics for bodybuilding than Asians. Genetics play a role in other olympic events, however, not as much as in bodybuilding. The list of Mr. Olympia winners clearly shows that. [1]

Furthermore, there would have to be an olympic event for female bodybuilders, and without steroids, most women have trouble packing on the amount of muscle needed to compete on higher levels. They don't have enough testosterone to build muscle as easily as men.[2]


In conclusion, I do not think bodybuilding should be an olympic sport unless the competitors were allowed to use steroids. And even then the same ethnic groups would likely dominate year after year.

3.I think that if bodybuilding were made an olympic sport it would definitely help bodybuilding's image. I think that it would be taken more seriously just because it has the word "olympic" associated with it. It might become a more mainstream sport as a result.

I don't think that it would make that big of a difference to the olympic's to have bodybuilding as one of the events. I don't think it would do any harm, but I don't think that it would help either. The Olympics is already a hugely popular event that is broadcasted throughout the world, so I am not sure that the addition of one sport would add a large number of viewers.[3] It may add some, but not necessarily a significant amount.

[1] http://www.muscle-building.com/Mr_Olympia.html
[2] http://www.naturodoc.com/library/hormones/masculine.htm
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Games

[Rigit23]

I enjoyed writing this, good luck to all.

[FNULNU]

I enjoyed writing this, good luck to all.

Well written.

[FNULNU]

Q)Should bodybuilding be an Olympic sport? Why or why not?
A)Yes, but on terms. I think drug tested bodybuilding would be the perfect event for the olympics. Winning the gold in an olympic event symbolizes that you are the best of that sport and is the ultimate satisafation for any athlete. But for the olympics to continue to be the honoured and truthful competition that it is it must remain "drug-proof" so bringing in an event in natural bodybuilding would be a great solution. Natural bodybuilding is one of the toughest sports out there, why shouldn't it be in the olympics?
By putting a bodybuilding event into the olympics you'd raise awarness of it into countries that don't now much about it, bodybuilding is a great sport and is full of competition, but that competition is mainly from America, by putting it into the olympics your looking at strong competitors coming out of far more countries and the sport would be living up to it's true potential.

Q)Why is bodybuilding not already an Olympic sport?
A)It all has to do with the IOC, which since the 1970's has denied Ben Weiders request of a bodybuilding event, though there is improvment in the matter (IOC now recogises bodybuilding as a sport) there is still a long way to go. The main problem is the inchancing drugs in the sport. But this can be easily solved with the addition of natural bodybuilding as an event.

Q)Do you think making bodybuilding an Olympic sport would help the sport? Do you think it would help the Olympics?
A)Yes and yes! Bodybuilding has blossemed through the decades because of the increase in its awarness. Slowly the sport has gained interesst and money and will continue to. Arnold Schwarzenegger was one major infulence, raising what the sport can achieve, he released "pumping iron" bodybuildings first great movie. Fan favorites have emgered and this will surly only continue with an addition to the olympics. The Olympics is watched worldwideand has helped sports like swimming and horse riding, think of what it can do for bodybuilding. Just imagion bodybuilders from around the globe compete for the ultimate title
Bodybuilding would also help the olympics, by entering a bodybuilding event you are showing the world what the human body can achieve through living healthy. Remembering the old olympic posters of the muscular Greeks lifting rocks, bodybuilding would display those figures and pay tribute to the olympics.


http://www.sportsci.org

Buy a dictionary please.

[FNULNU]

I guesss your desperately trying to find flaws in other people's work, that's low man, not very sporty,well I won't stoop to your low. I found this one hard and entered it for the practice, didn't give it 100% I'll admitt but you don't have to outline my mistakes.

How am I desperately trying to find flaws? You have numerous spelling mistakes.

[Rigit23]

Well written.

Thanks bro, I worked really hard on that!

I hope I win!

[Trey08]

The debate about if bodybuilding should be in the Olympics has reasons like Mr. O's arms, equally as big and strong as the one on the other side. Bodybuilders know that they are athletes, they compete to win and train hard for their competitions, and that the Olympics were made to put the best athletes in the world head to head. While others may say that not only do they have the Mr. Olympia to decide that, but the Olympics are made for athletes who have reached their level of greatness without the use of steroids. However the use of steroids does not mean that bodybuilders should not be allowed in the Olympics, due to not all bodybuilders use them. I know your thinking, "So what Ronnie Coleman and Jay Cutler really have those freak-like genetics?", thats not what I mean. What about the natural bodybuilders, you know those guys who are often over looked and forgotten about. They are after all, natural, just like the rest of the athletes who participate in the various sports that are a part of the Olympics.

One reason bodybuilding has not joined the ranks of the Olympics is because in the mainstream, steroids is the first thing to be assoicated with the sport. Even with the fact that natural bodybuilders are drug free athletes, some might still say that all their competition is is out-posing the other guys standing beside them. However, the people that say that don't realize all the discipline that a bodybuilder must go through, from the intense time in the gym week after week, year after year, to the restricting diet that changes along with every goal and must always be constantly monitored. So while they may not be jumping over a horizontal pole laying higher than most of us at the top of our vertical jump, or running fast enough that you wish he could be one of your WR's on your fantasy football team, they are athletes who deserve just as much respect. With that said, bodybuilders who are all over the pages of the fitness magazines who claim to gain "20 lbs in 20 days", but actually get 95% of those results from steroids, should not be in Olympics.

Being a part of the Olympics would help both the sport and the Olympics. The sport would get more of recognition, and possibly influence more people to get into bodybuilding, or at least live a healtier lifestyle. The Olympics would also gain more viewers from people wanting to see the bodybuilding competitions, making it a win win situation for both sides.

So, should bodybuilding become an Olympic sport? Yes and no. Yes, but only open to the natural bodybuilders, no to those who used steroids to achieve their level of greatness, which should still be considered greatness with all the discipline that goes into building such massive physiques.

[watcher33]

I think bodybuilding should be an olympic sport, the preparation that body builders go through to get themselves ready for body building contest is to the me the hardest training regiment of any sport. Now some may say that body building is not a sport is absolutely false. If power lifting is considered a sport the without a doubt body building is a sport. Although I dont think you will see the behemouth body builders because of all the band substances when testing for the olympics but you will see more natural body builders which would give the average person like myself the confidence to know that I can look like that olympian without taking any dangerous supplements.

[Dedicatedforlife]

My Entry. Cheers!

[Doc Hollywood]

I will take a quick contrarian view on this one.
Simply put, no way should bodybuilding be in the Olympics.
Firstly pro iffb guys and their like couldnt even be considered, due to their massive steroid use.
So that leaves us with the natural guys. All props to us guys who train as hard as we can and diet as hard as we can without artificial interference or help but are we athletes in the true sense, no way.
Our sport is scored on subjectivity, on the way we look, and how we prance around on a stage, as much as we reckon we compete against each other, we really compete for the attention of the judges, fool them and you win.
In every other olympic sport (maybe save that water ballet stuff) the outcome is there for all to see. He jumped higher, or longer, and that dude crossed the line first, or that team scored the most points. Simple objective result. The final result is final. How many times in BB comps does the best put together dude not win, happens all the time, pros are constantly complaining about it.
So how can anyone say that how someone looks be considered a sport.
It just happens that we train in the gym real hard like other sports people, but their outcomes are strength, speed, etc, ours are looks. Pro footballers etc train just as hard in the gym but dont go around calling themselves body buliders.

[v4lu3s]

I do not think that bodybuilding should be an Olympic sport.
I feel that bodybuilding is as much an art as sport, and to judge art as a sport would be sacrilege.
Part of the problem is the unique nature of every competitor. There is no such thing as objective judging in bodybuilding, though there are rules and guidelines for judging the subjective nature of each competitors physique and the opinion of each judge make it hard to define who is truly the best. This is not a sport of points, crossing the finish line first, it is a competitive art form that draws has come out of weightlifting. Even other sports that are heavily artistic, such as diving, gymnastics and ice skating all have very strong technical merits. There is always a right and wrong way on how to execute a maneuver. A great front flip can be pretty well defined by its technical merits, while a great bicep is a lot harder to define. Bad musculature can be pretty easily picked out, but take Jay Cutler and Ronnie Coleman and put them at their best and it is hard to define what makes one better than the other. Most of those types of statements would be started with "I think..." or "In my opinion..." which is totally subjective.
In addition the largest bodybuilding organization, IFBB, is an untested organization. There are many other tested or natural organizations, however the biggest names and biggest crowds are at the untested events. Integrating the art of bodybuilding into the Olympics could be a huge problem due to the stringent guidelines on performance enhancing substances and Olympic athletes. Without the current day mass monsters that dominate the upper echelons of the IFBB it becomes a lot harder to draw the same interest that any IFBB show can draw. Another side effect of this will be continued exploration of alternate substances that are difficult to impossible to test for.

The only way I would like to see bodybuilding integrated into the Olympics would be as an exhibition event. No testing, no official medals, but still have placing and rankings done to add to the crowd excitement. But to make it a full fledged Olympic "sport" does not give the bodybuilders, judges or spectators a fair chance to enjoy the event as it is now. The same standards cannot be applied as they could to other Olympic events and this would just hurt the image and position of bodybuilding more than it would help.

[jf1]

IMO the olympic games need to pare down to the basic sports that made the games what they are!
there is already too much water ballet/kayaking/skeet shooting and other totally esoteric 'sports'!

the olympics have become diluted over the years trying to accomodate every sport on the planet...bodybuilding would just add more crap to the menu!

[The_Lion_Heart]

here it is:

[Lavoisier]

here it is:

good contribution, but correct me if I am wrong...isn't figure diving also an Olympic sport? And that is not black and white judging; no one lifts more than someone else...

[poppinmycollar]

The Olympics are one of the most hallowed traditions in all of sport, stemming back to the ancient Greeks, and their original Olympic games. Today, many athletes from worldwide compete in a massive array of sports, from Olympic lifting, soccer, baseball and swimming to ice skating, ice dancing, and synchronized swimming. Some sports are judged by concrete parameters, who scores the most goals or runs, who swims the fastest or who jumps the farthest. On the other hand some sports are judged subjectively, judges decide who had the best skating routine for example. Bodybuilding would definitely fall into this second category.
Bodybuilding should certainly be an Olympic sport. To compare it to sports like weight lifting or swimming is unfair to both bodybuilding and the other sports. Although it sounds strange, bodybuilding most resembles Olympic sports like ice skating. While some people believe these sports are unfit to be in the Olympics, and thus bodybuilding has no place in the Games, the fact of the matter is that these sports are in fact included in the Olympics, and based on this, bodybuilding belongs there as well. Clearly, bodybuilders who participate would be different from those who compete in the Olympia, because the Olympics has stringent testing policies. This would however, be no different from other sports, such as baseball, in which the Olympic competitors are different than the MLB players we watch on TV.
In all probability, the number one reason bodybuilding is not already an Olympic sport is the negative stigma surrounding it. Many people assume bodybuilders are vain, steroid junkies, and that bodybuilding doesn?t require dedication. If people were to actually see natural bodybuilders, and watch the special features that come with Olympic inclusion, they would realize how hard bodybuilders need to work to achieve the pinnacle of their sport, and that this dedication is as hard or harder than other athletes commit.
Natural bodybuilding would benefit greatly from Olympic inclusion. There is nearly no press surrounding natural bodybuilding, and it is a great sport. With Olympic press, people would realize that not all bodybuilders take steroids, and we are not all freakishly large. Also people will see the dedication that bodybuilders have. In addition, with the exposure, bodybuilding would grow as a sport, because with Olympic inclusion comes money. The Olympics would not really benefit per se. Not any more so than if they included another niche sport with a few very dedicated members.
In conclusion, bodybuilding should be included in the Olympics because for many years natural bodybuilders have dedicated themselves and worked hard with little recognition. If this sport were included in the Olympics, not only would these naturals receive their due, but the Olympics would be maintaining a level of fairness, by not excluding another great sport merely because it requires judging.

[Jamier11]

No. Because it is not a performance so much as it a display of the effects of lifting weights.

Olympic sports are performance sports, and vanity is never a factor. Bodybuilding would go against everything the olympics stand for.

I love bodybuilding, but it is not a sport in an olympic sense.


Whats next, Olympic pageantry?

[BRAWNnupe4]

Yes, I think that bodybuilding should be a Olympic sport. Of course being that it was an Olympic sport it would have to be drug-free which would be good for the sport with all the flack that it catches for high-steriod use. This would also be good to show that not every one who is big or dedicates themselves use steroids but opt for hard-work and dedication. Bodybuilding should be an Olympic sport because it is in some sense along with weighlifting and all track events the cornerstone to every other Olympic sport. Lifting weights and doing cardiovascular exercise are tools that every Olympic athlete uses to build your body and in turn improve the wirk that it can produce. Being someone who played basketball, football, baseball, and ran track throughout school. I will have to say bodybuilders have to work the hardest and be the most dedicated which should be recognized on the Olympic stage. Whether it be adhering to a strict diet preping for a show or focusing on adding additional pounds during the off-season bodybuilders dedicate themselves to their sport 24-7-365. Where as others do 9 months if they are an extremely dedicated individual. I reject the fact that genetics of God given traits should prevent the sport from being an Olympic sport.For example basketball what about the 6'8" or 6'9" Tracy McGrady who can jump out the gym (not al God given, Im sure he does some exercise) vs. the 5'11" (an this is being generous) tall Asian guy who looks like hes skipping when he jumps his highest. What about track and speed, weightlifting and natural strength, the list goes on and on and on. God given talent is a factor in every sport in the Olypics. Just because you are give a talent doesn't mean that you will take the time and effort to hone it and capatilize the potential you are given. I see guys at the gym all the time that come once a week and are twice my size and we bench the same thing. No matter how good your genetics you have to put in work to compete in bodybuilding just as other sports.

I believe that bodybuilding is not an Olympic sport already because of the negative public perception gets due to its association with drug use (steriods). I think that a good system to use could be one silimar to boxing ang holding amatuer games if the professionals couldn't keep up their current contest participation while adding oin the Olympics or chose not to. This could help expose young and upcoming bodybuilders as well.

I know for a fact that making bodybuilding an Olympic sport would help the support for both parties. Through seeing drug-free bodybuilders I believe that people would have an appreciation for the dedication that so many people make to diet, exercise, etc. which is so often overshadowed by the amount of people who choose to use drugs to reach their goals. Look at Extreme sports and what the Winter Olympics has done for it (and only half as people watch the Winter Olympics as the Summer games). Look at the boom in the amount of snowboarding since its introuduction into the Olympics in the past decade and a half. It comes down to exposure little kids see basketball on tv and see Micheal Jordan winning games so they say "I wanna be like Mike". But no one sees Ronnie Coleman or Jay Cutler so not as many take interest in bodybuilding. Even me for example I wasn't exposed to bodybuilding until I stumbled across this page researching a supplement to get better for a sport, but once I read the articles and was exposed to it I fell in love with it. I feel like this will happen to so many others if they get the chance to be exposed to it.

[Lavoisier]

fyi this week ended yesterday.

[The_Lion_Heart]

fyi this week ended yesterday.

why do u have to be so harsh on people...and do u like hate me or something...everytime i post, you say something negative about it!!!chill bro....calm down...dont be so mean

[Lavoisier]

why do u have to be so harsh on people...and do u like hate me or something...everytime i post, you say something negative about it!!!chill bro....calm down...dont be so mean

To my knowledge I haven't posted anything mean, just critical. But if you don't want advice I won't give it (serious). I will try to respect that. I won't quote you or post in your threads. (also serious)

[Lavoisier]

grand thanks

?

I was talking to him, but okay

[wolfpilp]

Come on.Drugs are in all sports.100m in 9.74???????Pleaseeee.Steroids should be banned from sports but the way the situation is bodybuilding should be a olympic sport.Don't forget that bodybuilding is the most ancient sport of all.It was created in ancient greece the place that also olympics were created.

[footballyears]

fyi this week ended yesterday.

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[Dedicatedforlife]

Finally up...

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/topicoftheweek132.htm

[Travis71902]

If it was it would be boring as hell. Nothing exciting about dieting, doing cardio at 3am, and injecting steroids.

[o0hardcore0o]

it could but it shouldnt. the only reason is that contest like Mr. olympia will lose their popularity if bb become a olympic sports.... but its only my opinion

[wilko2812]

I dont think it could, due to the steroid (ab)use of the top competors.

[Mandy21]

I don't think body building should be in the Olympics. I don't think it would go far.

You would have to be on steroids probably to be good enough to compete in the Olympics. Just my thought..